Butt Wars

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Provide a quick physical reset and test balance through light, controlled partner competition.

Use it when: Use during long seated workshops or active outdoor sessions when a group needs a physical shift and consented contact is appropriate.

Skip it when: Skip when participants have back, hip, knee, or balance limitations, in formal corporate environments where physical contact is unwelcome, or on slippery floors.

Group arrangement: Pairs arranged with clear space around each pair; an odd person acts as referee or pairs with the facilitator.

Timing: UWT suggested 8-minute duration to accommodate briefing, safety checks, partner pairing, three short rounds, and a brief debrief.

Materials and tools

• Open floor space clear of furniture and hazards
• Floor tape or markers (optional, to mark foot positions if desired)

Before participants arrive

1. Clear an open area so pairs have at least 2 meters of clear clearance on all sides.
2. Verify the floor surface is dry and non-slip.

Say this to open

We are going to do a quick balance game in pairs called Butt Wars. You will stand back-to-back with your heels about 30 centimeters apart. The only contact point permitted is your hips and buttocks. When I say go, try to make your partner move either foot by nudging with your hips. If your foot lifts or slides, you are out of balance. Hands and upper backs may not push. If you prefer not to participate in physical contact, you can serve as an active round referee.

How to run it

1. Pair up and review rules 2 minutes

   Invite participants to choose a partner of similar height and build if possible. Direct anyone who prefers not to make physical contact to step out to act as a round referee. Read the opening script and demonstrate the starting posture: standing back-to-back with heels approximately 30 cm apart. Explicitly remind everyone that hands, elbows, and shoulders may not be used to push.

2. Play Round 1 2 minutes

   Have pairs take their starting back-to-back position. Call 'Ready, set, go.' Partners use gentle hip and glute nudges to disrupt the other's balance. A round ends for a pair as soon as either partner moves or slides a foot. Stop the room after 60 to 90 seconds. Acknowledge who held ground.

3. Swap tactics or partners for Round 2 2 minutes

   Give pairs 15 seconds to switch partners or stay with their current partner for a rematch. Start the second round with the same rules. Referees watch for moved feet or illegal shoulder or hand contact. Stop after 60 to 90 seconds.

4. Debrief and reset 2 minutes

   Call the group back together into a standing circle. Ask two debrief questions and take two to three brief responses before transitioning to the next agenda item.

Debrief questions

• What body mechanics helped you stay balanced under pressure?
• How did your strategy change between reacting to a push versus initiating one?

Finished output: A physical movement break completed with partners identified as maintaining balance in each round.

Remote

This physical balance game cannot be run online as designed. For a remote group needing a quick physical reset, run a non-contact alternative such as 'Mirroring': pairs take turns leading slow, deliberate physical movements on camera that the partner must copy in real time for 60 seconds each.

Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not recommended. If attempted, run the physical Butt Wars game exclusively among consenting in-person pairs, while remote participants pair up on video to run the Mirroring alternative.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may opt out of physical contact at any time by acting as an official round referee or scorekeeper without needing to provide an explanation.
• Participants can pause or stop a match immediately if they feel off-balance or uncomfortable.

If the session gets stuck

Participants push aggressively with their shoulders or hands.

Pause the round immediately. Remind the group that hands must stay relaxed at their sides or folded across their chests, and all contact must stay at hip level.

An odd number of participants want to play.

Assign the extra participant as head referee to call start and stop times, or have them rotate into a pair after round one.

Terms used here

• Off-balance condition: The moment a player shifts, lifts, or slides either foot from its starting spot on the floor.